Diverse perspectives on science and medicine
0000-0002-6828-1000 For many people, London does not sound like an appealing summer destination. But I was excited when I landed in Heathrow on Sunday last week, looking forward to two days full of synthetic biology.
0000-0003-0319-5416We continue to improve our ability to read, write, and edit DNA on larger and larger scales. GP-write wants to gather and coordinate the global enthusiasm around large-scale genome engineering to bring about some major
0000-0003-0319-5416Guest post by Markus Schmidt In 2010 scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) announced the creation of the first bacterial cell controlled by a chemically synthesized genome (1). The so-called “synthetic” cell was
0000-0002-6828-1000By Konstantinos Vavitsas and Jestin George Synthetic biology as we commonly know it is often described in its scientifically specific context, or in the context of its effects on society and the environment. However, another
0000-0003-0319-5416The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are working to develop a report on security concerns around synthetic biology. The committee recently put out its initial report, “A Proposed Framework For Identifying Potential Biodefense Vulnerabilities Posed
0000-0003-0319-5416From 2008 to 2014 the United States invested around $820 million in synthetic biology research. About 0.07% as much money went to synthetic biology projects through crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or Experiment.com. Of those crowdfunded
0000-0003-0319-5416This week the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board decided that there is “no interference in fact” between the patent application of Jennifer Doudna and University of California and the patents granted to Feng Zhang and the Broad
Fish is an essential component of diets across the world and can provide essential nutrients for healthy diet. As the need for stable food supply emerges with the rise of global population, aquaculture is becoming
0000-0003-0319-5416Whether it was academic leaders, startup entrepreneurs, or seasoned biotechnology veterans speaking, it was hard to avoid thinking of how Silicon Valley loomed over the discussions of synthetic biology’s path forward. From the snappy startup pitches
0000-0003-0319-5416If you do synthetic biology, you probably need plasmids. If you need plasmids, you’ve probably (hopefully) heard of Addgene because Addgene loves sharing plasmids from one researcher to another. The nonprofit plasmid repository started in
